The following article is part of a series
of articles that focus on the practical application of sport psychology
skills to martial arts training. For a more in-depth look at the
research upon which this article is based, please read: Performance
Enhancement in the Martial Arts: A Review

Assessing performance and correcting
errors are important internal skills for the martial arts student to develop.
But how does one develop this skill? To do so, the martial arts instructor
needs to consciously teach skill just as he or she teaches proper execution
of a side kick or using faking techniques during sparring. However,
teaching the development of using internal sources of information for feedback
may be something many martial arts instructors were not taught themselves.
So often when we teach skills, our response to the student’s performance
involves correcting errors or giving general praise, neither of which are
conducive to teaching the student how to self-correct errors. In
fact, these responses tend to create excessive dependence upon the instructor’s
feedback and presence.

For effective learning to occur,
the individual must receive feedback regarding performance. That
feedback can be external from a teacher or videotape or a test, or it can
be internal observations by the individual learner. Without feedback
of some type the individual may not learn at all or may learn incorrect
information. However, the problem that can occur with teaching is
that feedback from the instructor regarding acceptable performance can
make the student more dependent upon such feedback. Past research
tended to focus primarily on the importance of external feedback; however,
more recent research indicates that internal feedback can be even more
important than external feedback when the student knows the skills but
is working on consistently implementing correct performance. In addition,
research has indicated that frequent feedback may increase the student’s
dependence upon feedback from the instructor and that when the instructor
is not present performance decreases due to the lack of reliance on the
student’s internal sources of information.

How can the martial arts instructor
encourage the process within the student of developing internal methods
of feedback? The first step in any type of teaching physical skills,
of course, involves providing the student with a standard of correct technique
and how to perform the technique. This can be given through demonstration,
videotapes, written materials, or physically guiding the student through
the process. Often a combination of these methods can be most effective.
Once the student has learned the basic skill and is in the process of perfecting
performance, the issue of teaching the student to self-correct errors becomes
crucial. The following suggestions may be useful in teaching this
process:

1) If the instructor notices the student
reacting to an error such as through a nonverbal grimace or a verbal statement,
he/she can ask the student what the student noticed and how the error can
be corrected. This forces the student to focus on the internal information
that was apparent to the student and to develop a plan for solving the
problem. In addition, it provides the instructor a chance to assess
the student’s internal perfectionistic demands and to help the student
reframe those self-statements.

2) Teaching the martial arts student to
use internal sources of feedback can be accomplished by asking the student
questions regarding his/her performance prior to giving the student feedback.
At first, these questions need to be very specific to help the student
focus on different aspects of the performance. For instance, questions
could include, “Did you maintain a low stance?” or “Did your punch fully
extend?” In the case of correct assessment of performance, the instructor
can indicate agreement with the student’s assessment. However, if
the student is unaware of certain performance errors or incorrectly identifies
errors, the instructor could then explain proper performance. This
method allows the student to become more observant and aware of their movements
and performance.

3) An extension of the above process
would be to have the student evaluate their performance by using a videotape
or mirror as a source of feedback. However, these methods are external
sources of feedback similar to an instructor’s feedback and shouldn’t be
relied upon to the exclusion of internal information sources. They
can best be used as an intermediate step in teaching the student
to rely more on internal cues or when the skill being assessed is more
complex. Some students may be initially unaware of the internal
cues and may need the assistance of the visual information.

4) By following the above procedures,
the instructor is also reducing the frequency of external feedback which
is replaced by greater reliance on the student’s internal information.
However, the instructor still needs to provide encouragement by praising
specific correct actions and successes. To do so, the instructor
needs to provide specific information such as “You are increasing the speed
of your punches” rather than a generic “Good punch.”

Using this type of teaching method requires
more work on the instructor’s part and may be more difficult to implement
in a group setting. However, it pays off through greater student
motivation and accurate self-assessment when the instructor is not present
which in the long run improves learning skills and performance.

Monica
A. Frank is a clinical psychologist and founder of Behavioral Consultants,
P.C., a psychology practice in St. Louis, Missouri. She is currently
receiving additional training to certify as a sports psychologist and teaches
a Sports PsychSkills class at the Martial Arts Center (www.kenpousa.com).
For additional articles on sports psychology and other topics visit her
website at www.behavioralconsultants.com